Braille printing has been available for about 180 years, and naturally, signage incorporating Braille print has followed. Because Braille print comprises raised dots to provide elements of tactile sensibility, signage has been difficult to produce because the traditional method of embossing is not available. Engraving of signage therefore usually required all but the raised portions of the Braille lettering to be cut away, with the result that there was material wastage, excessive wear on cutting or engraving tools, and a protraction in time taken to produce Braille signage.
However, in 1905, a technique was developed in France for placing Braille lettering on signage which involved drilling holes of a predetermined depth into the sign, fixing or fastening a Braille element of a predetermined height, such as a ball, into each hole so that in the finished sign, the Braille elements all extend outwardly of the sign substantially the same amount. In order for the technique to be effective, the Braille elements extend into the hole substantially the same amount, the Braille elements being substantially identical with one another. The technique, as exemplified in French Patent No. 350,605, published 20 Jun. 1905 has become well known in the art. Further examples and improvements may be found such as for example in French Patent No. 2,669,848 published 5 Jun. 1992. Although it is not necessarily the case that these patent specifications form part of the common general knowledge in the art, it is believed by the inventor that the technique of inserting Braille elements into preformed holes to form Braille signage is well known in the art and has been so for at least a century.
Conventional Braille inserters have required significant time to be positioned accurately over a hole and insert a Braille element therein. Several attempts have been made to reduce this time by automation of the process. For example, a Braille inserter and method are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,245,744 and 5,403,189. The apparatus may be used to drill holes in a sign face in an accurate position so that ball bearings or the like may be inserted therein manually using a variety of different inserters. Automated Braille inserters have been provided which can be positioned accurately for inserting Braille elements in less time. Such inserters typically have a drive pin for driving a Braille element into a hole, but have been prone to jamming and/or breakdown, for example, by the way the Braille elements are fed to the drive pin.
In this specification, terms such as up, down, above, below, and equivalents thereof may be used to describe the invention in its normal orientation. However, it will be appreciated that such terms do not limit the invention to any particular orientation.
The present invention aims to provide an automated Braille inserter which alleviates the aforementioned problems of the prior art. Other aims and advantages of the invention may become apparent from the following description and claims.